Editorial: Greg Mortenson's fall: Tea and skepticism

Friday

Apr 29, 2011 at 12:01 AMApr 29, 2011 at 12:32 AM

Years ago, mountain-climber Greg Mortenson had more than "Three Cups of Tea" with the residents of a poor village in the mountains of Afghanistan. Out of that experience came schools for villages that had none, a best-seller for Mortenson, a charity to support the building of more schools and new ideas on rebuilding Afghanistan.

Years ago, mountain-climber Greg Mortenson had more than "Three Cups of Tea" with the residents of a poor village in the mountains of Afghanistan. Out of that experience came schools for villages that had none, a best-seller for Mortenson, a charity to support the building of more schools and new ideas on rebuilding Afghanistan.

Allegations have now been leveled at Mortenson that force a re-evaluation of his work, especially by those who enjoyed his books and contributed to his Central Asia Institute.

The allegations, made on CBS' "60 Minutes" by former CAI board members, undermine three of the achievements that made Mortenson respected and famous. His books include inaccuracies and exaggerations, they charge, notably Mortenson's signature tale of being saved by the villagers of Korphe after a harrowing mountain-climbing experience, a good deed he repaid with a pledge to build a school. The schools he says he founded in Afghanistan aren't as numerous as Mortenson claims, "60 Minutes" reports, and many are no longer operating. The charity he operates, the critics say, spends more money supporting Mortenson's book tours than building schools.

Mortenson and his supporters dispute these claims, some more credibly than others. But to whatever extent the criticisms are true, Mortenson is less of an author, humanitarian and philanthropist than we thought.

But perspective is in order here. Many authors take liberties with their narratives, even in books labeled non-fiction. Many charities are started as extensions of an activist's work, supporting his travel and promoting his "brand." Given the culture and politics of Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal areas - and remember, there's a war being fought there - we wouldn't expect every school to be operating smoothly years after it was founded. Lots of non-profit boards are plagued by the kind of dissent reflected in the comments of members who have quit Mortenson's CAI board.

Moreover, no one is denouncing Mortenson as a fraud. No one denies he has spent years in Afghanistan helping poor villagers. He has advocated successfully for education, particularly for girls, as an alternative to Islamic fundamentalism and as a way to usher tribal regions into the modern age.

"He's not Bernie Madoff," said author Jon Krakauer, who quit the CAI board and was a main source for the "60 Minutes" expose. "Let's be clear. He has done a lot of good. He has helped thousands of school kids in Pakistan and Afghanistan. ... He has become perhaps the world's most effective spokesperson for girls' education in developing countries. And he deserves credit for that."

Mortenson also deserves credit for helping the U.S. military understand how to win hearts and minds in Afghanistan. The only way outsiders can earn the trust and cooperation of rural Afghans and Pakistanis, he says, is by listening to the locals, and particular the village elders, through three cups of tea, and more. That lesson is what made Mortenson's book required reading at the Pentagon, and its truth is in no way compromised by anything said on "60 Minutes." Whether fully-armed U.S. troops can translate Mortenson's techniques into a successful war against the Taliban is a dubious proposition, but if they fall short, it won't be Mortenson's fault.

Mortenson has kept out of sight since the scandal broke. He canceled an appearance next week in Massachusetts, amid reports he is hospitalized in Montana and undergoing heart surgery. The Montana attorney general has launched an investigation of Mortenson's charity, so there may be more trouble to come.

The lessons in all this: Don't believe everything you read. Research a charity before you give to it, to find out how much of its receipts go to overhead, and how much to the charity's work. And while we'd still recommend "Three Cups of Tea," we suggest you take your tea with at least a teaspoon of skepticism.

The MetroWest Daily News

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